The Surface Transportation Board needs to quickly move ahead with a comprehensive set of proposals for railroad grain shipping rates and rail revenue adequacy in order to create more certainty for both shippers and railroads, the former acting chairman of the STB told attendees at this year's National Grain and Feed Association Ag Transportation Summit.
July 2015 rainfall as a percent of the 30 year July average precipitation, the difference between July 2015 temperatures and the 30 year July average temperature and the end of July Palmer Drought Severity Index for the top corn and soybean producing states.
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., makes the case Washington, D.C.'s entire sewer system could be considered waters of the United States based on the language of the new rule set to be implemented Aug. 28, in a letter Thursday to Jo Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army and Ken Kopocis, deputy assistant administrator of the office of water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Brazilian fertilizer sales have perked up over the last two months, reflecting better prospects for the next soybean crop. However, overall sales are still expected to decline in 2015.
Born in a converted 90- by 150-foot machine shed outside Adel, Iowa, a new-type cargo ramp that quickly loads and unloads ATVs and side-by-sides has rapidly become a big seller.
8/21 1:45PM Markets in all sectors were bludgeoned Friday following an early morning report that China's factory activity for August fell to a 6 1/2-year low. Global equities, currencies, and commodities all came crashing down as the day progressed with some markets moving to new multi-year lows.
Weather
Rain in Midwest, Plains Over Weekend8/21 1:02PM Rain will expand into the western and central Midwest and southeastern Plains during the weekend. This combination will generally be beneficial to crops with late-season soil moisture. However, eastern Midwest areas will have a drier trend.
Crops
Ken Franklin is watching his central Illinois soybean crop for diseases this fall so he knows what preventative steps to take next spring. (DTN photo by Pamela Smith)
Stay on Top of SDSScout for Disease Now and Plan Ahead8/14 11:22AM The distinctive yellow patches of sudden death syndrome (SDS) are surfacing in soybean fields across the Midwest. Now is the time to scout and evaluate variety performance and plan ahead for next year.
Thu Aug 6, 2015 09:43 AM CDT Growers in the Midwest should keep an eye out for the symptoms of white mold in their soybeans, thanks to wet conditions this summer, and plan ahead for next year.
Fri Aug 14, 2015 09:28 AM CDT In this week's Crop Tech Corner, researchers are collecting the data necessary to someday let producers scout weeds remotely, a university released a soybean yield app, and UK scientists discovered that soil bacteria can help waterproof plant roots.
Mon Aug 17, 2015 02:19 PM CDT El Nino's strengthening in the Pacific Ocean continues to suggest above-normal precipitation for fall harvest in the Midwest.
Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:00 PM CDT Some cover crop seed companies are expecting a rise in sales later this summer after widespread flooding and rainfall this summer left many acres empty of crops. At the same time, the drought out West could limit some supplies.
Mon Aug 17, 2015 04:15 PM CDT Despite big gains in efficiency, the politics of the California drought have fallowed a half-million acres and are reconfiguring the state's agricultural machine.
Farm Business
Surviving the 1980s taught Don Cantrell to shrink his operating line to a minimum, a lesson he has passed on to his son, Kyle. (Photo courtesy of the Cantrell family)
Senior Partners - 5What Dad Learned in the '80s8/14 6:58AM This fatherly financial advice is meant to prevent heartaches should the farm economy suffer another serious setback. Here's what veterans of the 1980s debt crisis want their children to remember, so their kids don't have to learn the hard way.
InfoAg celebrated 20 years of promoting precision agriculture, but the industry still has far to go before it delivers on its promise of a new age of digital agriculture. (DTN photo by Emily Unglesbee)
Precision Ag Potential PendingFarmer Fears, Technology Frustrations Hold Back Adoption8/10 11:42AM Precision agriculture proponents insist the industry can revolutionize agriculture, but first more farmers have to get on board, according to a new report from Iowa AgState.
Mon Aug 3, 2015 11:26 AM CDT Precision ag companies are bringing automation to the age-old practice of soil sampling in the hopes of improving the quality of the samples that generate data and yield maps and determine farmers' fertilizer and nutrient decisions.
Mon Jul 27, 2015 11:57 AM CDT Harry Ferguson and his company Massey Ferguson were truly pioneers in the world of agricultural engineering.
Ag Policy
According to a study by The Boston Consulting Group, 960,000 U.S. milk cows in the U.S. are within 155 miles (250 kilometers) of a Canadian dairy plant -- about equal to the whole Canadian dairy cow herd. This is based on 2012 data, the last time a survey was done on U.S. farms and cows. (Graphic courtesy of The Boston Consulting Group)
Canadian Dairy ConundrumSupply Management System Faces Pressure in Pacific Trade Talks8/6 2:27PM Coping with Canada's dairy industry import tariffs and supply controls remains one of the sticking points to finalizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Canada's dairy industry is pushing back against arguments it needs to open up to imported dairy products.
Tue Aug 4, 2015 04:49 PM CDT The window of opportunity to invest in U.S. infrastructure -- a key to maintaining and expanding the competitiveness of U.S. exports -- may come to a close in 2016-17, an economist says.
Fri Aug 7, 2015 10:55 AM CDT Transportation-funding supporters think Congress could pass a long-term highway bill by the end of the year if they can come to a resolution on how to pay for it.
Farm Life
Surviving the 1980s taught Don Cantrell to shrink his operating line to a minimum, a lesson he has passed on to his son, Kyle. (Photo courtesy of the Cantrell family)
What Dad Learned in the '80s8/18 8:33AM This fatherly financial advice is meant to prevent heartaches should the farm economy suffer another serious setback. Here's what veterans of the 1980s debt crisis want their children to remember, so their kids don't have to learn the hard way.
Mon Aug 17, 2015 04:23 PM CDT Southeast Minnesota farmers taking part in an inter-seeding demonstration project look for ways to take advantage of cover crops in cold climates.
Mon Aug 17, 2015 02:36 PM CDT Prices of agricultural commodities generally rise during El Ninos, but a CME economist argues the current El Nino draws parallels to 1997, when the Asian currency crisis, a strong dollar and falling non-ag commodity prices kept prices from rising.
Mon Aug 17, 2015 02:27 PM CDT The distinctive yellow patches of sudden death syndrome (SDS) are surfacing in soybean fields across the Midwest. Now is the time to scout and evaluate variety performance and plan ahead for next year.
Featured Column
While King Corn's fate looks to be similar to that of General George Custer, there is a chance the tide of battle could still turn. (Painting by Henry Steinegger, Courtesy Library of Congress)
Newsom on the MarketLast Man Standing8/21 8:11AM The continued saga of old King Corn is nearing its climax.
Founder, or an infection in the claw, can resemble a case of corkscrew claw. If concerned, a complete exam is in order, as corkscrew claw is a condition that can be passed down into the herd. (DTN/Progressive Farmer photo by Mark Parker)
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Grain Losses Mitigated But Not Erased
